Button assembly



March 17, 1970 c. A. MALHENZIE ET AL 3,500,507

BUTTON ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 11, 1967 INVENTORS'. (Lia rigs" 1111a; ilfllza? 1 10mm: Z. WeZZeax United States Patent 3,500,507 BUTTON ASSEMBLY Charles A. Malhenzie, Norwalk, and Florian Leo Vielleux, Danbury, Conn.; said Malhenzie assignor to Anna Frances Malhenzie, Norwalk, Conn.

Filed Sept. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 666,862 Int. Cl. A44b 1/12, 1/14 US. Cl. 24-113 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A button structure of the kind which may be assembled on a fabric by interconnecting two button parts through the fabric, is provided with a snap action spring cap making it possible to readily substitute on the basic combination of said two parts any of a variety of caps which may be of different colors to match different costurnes, or to display various insignia. The cap is shaped to embrace the periphery of the basic buttoh structure and the spring action of the cap is increased by the provision of spring means embedded in the cap which, when the center of the crown of the cap is depressed aids in providing the peripheral portion of the cap with a snap action causing it to lift up and release the basic button structure.

The basic button structure consisting of the two parts which are moved into engagement from opposite sides of the fabric is improved by the spring arms on one button part which are projected through the fabric onto a shoulder provided on the button part which is on the other side of the fabric, the free ends of the spring arms being bent over to form triangles the lower sides of which are not fixed and so are able to swing thus providing an infinite variety of contact points for contacting the shoulder of the coacting button part, the point of contact of the swingable arm with the shoulder depending upon the thickness of the fabric through which the spring arms are inserted.

This invention relates to a button assembly having a cap interchangeable with other caps which may be of different colors to match changes of costume.

An object of the invention is to provide button assemblies having replaceable parts and particularly outer portions or caps which are interchangeable.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an assembly in which the structure of one or more of the parts, and particularly the outer or cap part, is such that the part or parts may be made of plastic.

The invention will best be understood by reading the following description of the invention in connection with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric, exploded view,

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view partly broken away and partly in section,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation and sectional view taken on the lines 33 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a detailed plan view looking at the reverse side of the piece of garment or other fabric 16 and showing the portion of the third member which is disposed over the rear surface of the garment or other fabric.

The button assembly as shown in the drawings comprises a first or intermediate part 10, and a second or rear part 12, which has a portion adapted to overlie the rear surface of a garment or other fabric on which the button assembly is to be used, and which has means, to be described, for insertion through the fabric and interengagement with the first part to hold the first part on the front or outer surface of a garment or other fabric, and a third part 14 which is coactive with the first part and may be readily mounted on, or removed from engage- 3,500,507 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 ment with, the first part. It is contemplated that sets of these button assemblies will be provided with a variety of cap portions 14, so that by merely interchanging the cap portions buttons used with a costume or a fabric of one color may be quickly and easily adapted for use on a garment or fabric of another color.

While the parts of the assembly may be made of various different materials in the preferred form the caps 14, and desirably also the first or intermediate part 10 is made of a suitable plastic, with the cap being flexible and formed for example of vinyl resin.

The outer surfaces of the caps may be given the desired colors, as for example by mixing color in the plastic material, or by cementing a piece of cloth on the outer, exposed, surface of the cap, using for example a piece of cloth taken from, or matching, or providing a desirable contrast to, the material of which the garment or other fabric is made.

In FIGURE 3 a piece of material such as a piece of a womans dress or suit is indicated by the numeral 16, and a button assembly is shown assembled on the piece of cloth. It will be noted that the first part 10 comprises a hub 18, and a head portion 20 of greater diameter than the diameter of the hub, extending radially outwardly from the hub at its top or outer end and comprising a rounded peripheral portion 22 surrounding and projecting beyond an inner surface portion 25 which defines a concavity 26 which is concentric with, and at its center opens into, and communicates with, the axially extending passage 28 in hub 18. The bottom or inner surface of the concavity 26 surrounding the outer end of passage 28 provides a shoulder 30 which is employed in assembling the first and second parts 10 and 12.

The first and second parts may be assembled in any suitable way, the invention being directed to providing a suitable structure which can be assembled on a garment or other fabric, without sewing, and provide cooperating means for mounting thereon interchangeable caps, making it possible with any suitable combination of parts such as 10 and 12, to use any one of a number of interchangeable caps 14.

In the specific embodiment of the invention disclosed herein the second part 12 is made of a thin piece of spring metal or wire 32, and it comprises a portion 34 lying in a plane which is parallel to the plane of the fabric and as shown herein is bent more or less in the form of a FIG- URE 8, and the spring arms 36 and 38 which project at right angles to the plane of the FIGURE 8 portion of member 12, from the center portion of the said FIG- URE 8 portion, each spring arm being bent over at its outer end providing the laterally extending heads h, which, after the spring arms 36 and 38 have been pressed together and inserted through the fabric 16 and through the passage 28, spring outwardly when the spring arms 36 and 38 are released so that the fiat widest portions of the heads h project over the shoulder 30 and thus yieldingly interlock the parts 10 and 12. It will be seen from FIGURE 3 that the heads h are formed by bending the outer ends of the spring arms downwardly at an angle and then further bending the outer portions of said bent over ends to cause said outer portions to be directed back toward the main body of the spring arms forming contact areas for engaging the laterally extending shoulder and automatically compensating for differences of thickness of the fabric through which the spring arms are inserted. In this manner and by such means the parts 10 and 12 may be readily mounted on a dress or other garment, or removed from said garment and if desired shifted to, and mounted on, another garment or fabric.

After the parts 10 and 12 have been mounted and releasably interlocked on a chosen garment, any of a number of different outer portions or caps 14 may be quickly and easily added to complete the button assembly. As shown herein the members 14 each comprise a center portion 40 surrounded by a thinner outer portion 42 extending radially from the center portion 40, and gradually tapering to its outer peripheral edge, with the outer peripheral portion 42being curved downwardly and shaped to fit over and around the bearing surface provided by the peripheral portion 22 of part 10. The member 14 is relatively thin and is flexible so that when the crowned center portion 40 is depressed, as by a persons finger, and moves downwardly into the space between the lower surface of the center portion 40 of member 14 and the outer surface ,of member 10, the rounded surface of the peripheral portion 22 of part 10, at approximately b, acts as a pivot bearing thus causing the thin tapered and curved outer peripheral portion of part to move upwardly and outwardly. Thus by simple pressure at the center portion 40 of a cap member the outer peripheral portion thereof which has been clasping the outer peripheral portion of member 10 will be moved outwardly and away from the portion of member 10 with which it has been engaged, permitting the cap part 14 to be readily disengaged. For substituting a dififerent cap 14 it is only necessary to depress the center portion 40 of the substitute cap member, and position the cap member over the head 20 of the part 10 on which it is to be mounted, and release pressure on the top of the central portion 40 of the part 14, whereupon the outer peripheral portion of the substituted cap will move into engagement on and around the peripheral portion 22 of the head portion 20 of part 10, providing a dependable interlocking of said parts and reconstituting the complete button assembly.

The cap member 14 employed may be formed of any material giving it sufficient flexibility and yet enough strength to resist inadvertent displacement from a sub assembly of the parts 10 and 12. In order to increase the snap action of the peripheral portion of a cap member 14 spring means may be embedded in a plastic cap. Desirably, and as shown herein, the spring means employed comprises a series of radially extending portions '46 of a spring wire 44 embedded in the outer portionof the cap member 14 around its crowned center portion 40.

In order to make the yielding interengagement between the cap 14 and the headportion 20 of the second member 12 the periphery of the head portion is provided with a small reentry groove 48, and the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the cap 14 is formed with an inwardly projecting ring 50 adapted to fit in the groove 48. Consequently when the peripheral portion of the cap is lowered around the peripheral portion of the head 20 of the'second part 12 the internal ring 50 enters the groove 48 and provides a more positive interlock between the'cap and the head portion 20 of the second part 12.

There has thus been provided a button assembly comprising simple and durable parts, witha cap part which may be readily attached to or removed from a subass'embly comprising a plurality of parts interengageable for mounting on a garment or fabric without sewing, permitting use of any one or a number of interchangeable cap parts which may, if desired, have outer surfaces of different color, making the assembly useable with garments of different color and kinds. g

It will be understood that the button that is the subject of this invention may be round, square, many sided or any desired shape, the most important feature being the interchangeabilityof the head portion 14. It should also be understood that the portion of member 12 disposed behind the garment or other fabric 16 may be cloth covered or of a plastic or other material colored to go with the color of the cap 14. And of course the cap 14 may be embossed or grooved or otherwise marked with any desired insignia.

What we clairn'is:

1. In a button structure comprising, a first part adapted to be disposed on one surface of a fabric and defining a hub with an axial passage within an outwardly project'- ing rounded peripheral rim, a second part including means adapted to be inserted through a fabric into engagement with the first part, and a third part capping the first part, a spring cap comprising a center crown portion and a radially extending outwardly tapering peripheral portion curved downwardly -tosurround and-yieldingly clasp the periphery of the first part, the cap comprising a composition of plastic with spring means embedded therein and tending'to cause the outwardly tapering peripheral portion of the cap to clasp and positively engage the rounded peripheral portion of the first-part. '2. In a button structure comprising, a first part adapted to be disposed on one surface of a fabric and defining a hub with an axial passage within an outwardly projecting rounded peripheral rim, a second part including means adapted to be inserted through a fabric into engagement with the first part, and a third part capping the first part, a spring cap comprising a center crown portion and a radially extending'outwardly tapering peripheral portion curved downwardly to surround and yieldingly clasp the periphery of the first part, the spring being embedded in the cap and comprising a thin wire bent to form a series of loops projecting outwardly from a common center, each loop being bent downwardly toward its closed end to conform with the curvatures of the outwardly tapering peripheral portion of the cap.

3. In a button structure comprising, a first part adaptedto be disposed on one surface of a fabric and defining a hub with an axial passage within an outwardly projecting rounded peripheral rim, a second part including means adapted to be inserted through a fabric into engagement with the first part, and a third part capping the first part, a spring cap comprising a center crown portion and a radially extending outwardly tapering peripheral portion curved downwardly to surround and yieldingly clasp theperiphery of the first part, the peripheral rim of the first part-extending above the center portion and defining a bearing surface for the periphery of the cap and a center space'into which the crowned center portion of the cap may be depressed to spring its peripheral portion outwardly and upwardly for unclasping the cap from the first part, and spring means in the cap serving to increase the spring action of the cap. 1

References Cited .7 'UNITED'ISTAT'ESPATENTS DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. 4-107 

